A Moveable Feast · Place in the book
Place de la Contrescarpe (Café des Amateurs)
In the story · Chapter “A Good Café on the Place St.-Michel”, the opening
The book opens in this small square at the top of rue Mouffetard on a cold, wet day, with the crowded, smoky Café des Amateurs that Hemingway kept away from before walking off to a better café to write. The café stood on the corner at number 2; the square, its fountain and its plane trees are still the heart of the quarter.
Where to stay nearby
Stay a 1-min walk from hereMap with prices from several sites · distance: OpenStreetMap
or on Booking.com- With this place
- Day by day
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Are you here?
More to do here
Things to do
A Moveable Feast: a tour linked to the story
Walk with an actor-guide · from 69 boulevard Saint-Michel · about 1 h 30 min · Guide in English or French
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More A Moveable Feast places nearby
74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine20 m away · 1 min on foot
39 Rue Descartes90 m away · 1 min on foot
12 Rue de l'Odéon1.1 km away · 14 min on foot
Famous places nearby
Not places of the story, but worth the walk.
Jardin des Plantes
740 m away · 10 min on footThe city's botanical garden by the Seine, with flower beds, old trees and glasshouses.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
930 m away · 12 min on footLinked to the storyIn 'People of the Seine' Hemingway walks the quays with Notre-Dame and the Île de la Cité opposite.
Sainte-Chapelle
1.2 km away · 16 min on footA royal chapel whose upper level is walled almost entirely with stained glass.
Where to stand for the photo
Stand by the fountain in the middle of the square and frame the corner café at number 2, with the start of rue Mouffetard to its left.
Getting there
- Address: 2 Place de la Contrescarpe, 75005 Paris
- Nearest metro: Place Monge (L7)
- Access
- Public square; the corner café is open daily
Public sources (4)
- A Moveable Feast on Wikipedia
- place de la Contrescarpe on Wikipedia
- worldinparis.com
- rue-mouffetard.com
Sources found on October 19, 2026.
Every place checked against public sources
Production · film commissions · tourist boards · guides
We always say if it is:
- The real filming location
- A place standing in for it
- Inspired by the story
From other stories, nearby
- Église Saint-Étienne-du-MontMidnight in Paris270 m away · 4 min on foot
- Rue Mouffetard MarketRatatouille300 m away · 4 min on foot
- Café de la Nouvelle MairieEmily in Paris350 m away · 5 min on foot
- PanthéonEmily in Paris360 m away · 5 min on foot
Where to eat nearby
Les Pipos
320 m away · 4 min on footwine bistro€Latin Quarter wine bar serving traditional French plates, mains about €9–13
Café de la Nouvelle Mairie
350 m away · 5 min on footwine bar€€The café by Emily's square where she and Mindy meet for brunch and gossip in Emily in Paris (S1E5); open weekdays only
Terra Nera
390 m away · 5 min on footItalian€€The Italian restaurant on Place de l'Estrapade that plays Gabriel's restaurant in Emily in Paris; the menu has a set meal named after the show
Every place checked against public sources
Production · film commissions · tourist boards · guides
We always say if it is:
- The real filming location
- A place standing in for it
- Inspired by the story
Every place checked against public sources
Production · film commissions · tourist boards · guides
We always say if it is:
- The real filming location
- A place standing in for it
- Inspired by the story